RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING FACT SHEET

YOUR RAPID ANTIGEN TEST IS POSITIVE, NOW WHAT?

A positive rapid antigen test result for COVID-19 indicates that you have COVID-19 and are presumed to be contagious. Please isolate at home immediately. A case investigator will be following up with you within 24 hours. Please follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community. STAY HOME EXCEPT TO GET MEDICAL CARE Please see State Health Officer order #2020.5.1 for positive cases. People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are should isolate at home during their illness. It is very important for you to monitor your health at home for worsening symptoms so that you can be taken care of and treated quickly if needed. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis. If you have a medical appointment, call the health care provider and tell them that you have COVID-19. Unless it is an emergency, ALWAYS call ahead before visiting your doctor.

Seek outpatient therapies that prevent serious illness/death if you are a high-risk patient, including: • Individuals age 65 and older • Individuals age 55 and older with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) • Individuals age 12 and older with body mass index (BMI) >35 (moderate obesity), chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or immunosuppressed • Individuals age 12-17 with obesity/overweight, sickle cell disease, heart disease, g-tube/tracheostomy or other technologic dependence, asthma or other chronic lung disease requiring daily controller medication

If you think you may meet one of these criteria for being a high-risk patient, please contact your healthcare provider’s office for more information and a possible referral to a COVID-19 outpatient infusion center near you. If you received antibody therapy for COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccination should be deferred for at least 90 days to avoid interference of the treatment with vaccine-induced immune responses. REMEMBER: some of these medications have the best effect if given shortly after your diagnosis, before you have symptoms and/or require hospitalization, therefore make this call soon after receiving your positive test result.

SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM OTHERS IN YOUR HOME AND PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room, use a separate bathroom, and away from other people in your home. You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would around other people. You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

3/8/2021 RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING FACT SHEET

More detailed guidance from CDC is available, see Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Homes and Residential Communities. This guidance also provides information regarding preventative steps for household members, intimate partners, and caregivers in a non-healthcare setting of a person with COVID-19 infection. NOTIFY YOUR CLOSE CONTACTS Notify your close contacts outside of the school setting. School close contacts will be notified by the school investigation team. Find more information on notifying close contacts by visiting health.nd.gov/covidpositive. WHEN TO DISCONTINUE HOME ISOLATION You need to remain at home until 10 days have passed since your symptoms began AND you are fever free (<100.4F) for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications AND symptoms are improving. Asymptomatic individuals must remain home until 10 days have passed since their specimen collection date, as long as they are asymptomatic for the duration of their isolation. An isolation and quarantine calculator can be found at health.nd.gov/covidcalculator.

It is recommended you not retest for COVID-19 within 90 days from your illness onset if you remain asymptomatic; test results during this time may remain residually positive. If you do become ill again, consult with your health care provider regarding your illness. If you would be exposed to COVID-19 again within 90 days of your illness onset, it is not recommended to quarantine for those exposures.

For more information, visit health.nd.gov/covidpositive. YOUR RAPID ANTIGEN TEST IS NEGATIVE, NOW WHAT?

A negative test result for this test means that antigens from SARS-CoV-2 were not detected in your sample so you may not have COVID-19. However, a negative result does not rule out COVID-19 and should not be used as a pass to stop practicing social distancing and other COVID-19 prevention measures. A negative COIVD-19 test means you likely did not have COVID-19 at the time you were tested. You could have been tested too early to be detected or could be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then. WHAT’S NEXT? If you do not have symptoms and are participating in surveillance testing, no additional measures are required at this time. However, you are encouraged to participate in future surveillance tests, as available. If you have symptoms or at any time develop symptoms, it is recommended that you follow up with a diagnostic test. Visit health.nd.gov/testnd for more information.

PRACTICE GOOD COVID-19 ETIQUETTE COVID-19 testing isn’t a substitute for basic measures to prevent COVID-19, including physical distancing, wearing a mask, washing hands, sanitizing frequently touched surfaces and avoiding crowded indoor spaces.

For more information, please visit health.nd.gov/coronavirus or questions may directed to the Public Health Hotline at 1-866-207-2880.

3/8/2021